School coaches in Wichita get inventive to keep holding practice during excessive heat

Schools across Wichita are adjusting after-school practice to ensure athlete safety during the excessive heat warning. To make sure they’re ready for the upcoming season some are on the field by 6 a.m. and others are working together to share space inside.

Wichita has already broken multiple temperature records this week. Aug. 19, 20 and 21 set records for the hottest temperatures ever recorded on those days. Tuesday saw a high of 105, tying with the previous record set in 1922, according to the National Weather Service. The excessive heat warning that ended Thursday was extended to Friday night.

Chris Asmussen, the Wichita School District athletic director, is hoping that temperatures will fall significantly once the National Weather Service’s excessive heat warning ends.

The Wichita Public School District sticks to Kansas State High School Activities Association guidelines to protect athletes from heat exhaustion and dehydration. Games aren’t as much of a problem since they are usually played after it has cooled off and can be postponed, but coaches have been making some changes to practices, Asmussen said.

“This week’s a hard week,” Asmussen said. “[Coaches] either go early in the morning or some of them might go out after it breaks and goes back down into the zones.”

By zones he is talking about the measurement system that USD 259 and the KSHSAA use to determine if practices can be outside.

They use the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature to measure outdoor conditions. According to the National Weather Service, this measures “heat stress,” and it is based on temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover.

They have to wait until the WBGT drops into a safe zone before holding practice, and give athletes more water breaks. They also have immersion tanks filled with cool water and an athletic trainer present for every practice.

At East High School most of the teams, including football, moved indoors, but the men’s soccer team decided to meet on the field for 6 a.m. practice, or as soon as the sun comes up so they can see the cones. According to head coach Fred Koepp, moving to morning practice was better for the team than going inside.

“My planning on preseason preparation has stayed pretty normal because in the morning it’s normally 80 to 85 which isn’t too crazy,” Koepp said. “Inside everything has to be changed, I mean, I can’t work on big tactical ideas or things that you would otherwise be able to do on a full on soccer field.”

Koepp says changing practice time also presents options for school athletics that they hadn’t tried before.

“It is an option of something that, you know, if all else we could always go at this time,” Koepp said “I mean, if we did have lights and stuff, we might even consider going in the morning every day just because it does kind of feel cool to be able to get done with school and then just go home and do homework. But, that’s not what we usually do.”

Center back Abel Gonzalez agrees that getting up and to the field is “definitely a challenge,” but it’s worth it for the team to prepare for the season. According to Gonzalez, the team is happy to practice in the morning if it means avoiding the heat.

“It’s a good way to start your day off also to be around with the guys wakes you up,” Gonzalez said. “Also just to have the afternoon off, go do some homework or be around the family a little bit more.”

Teams at Bishop Carroll Catholic High School have also adopted a new practice schedule, according to athletic director Tyler Fraizer. The football team has started arriving at school for 5 a.m. practice, the cross country team is waiting till 8 p.m. and soccer takes the indoor gym after volleyball.

“It is a challenge especially when you’re used to after school, going out and getting your workouts in and going home,” Fraizer said. “It’s a big thanks to the coaches and the parents being flexible.”

Bishop cross country coach Cory Swords said this week of evening practices hasn’t crushed his athletes’ spirits. His runners have even taken this opportunity to learn more about “heat training” and adjusting their eating schedules to make sure they don’t eat too close to practice.

“This is an opportunity to talk to them about how we had one plan for this week and we had to make adjustments to that plan, just like you’re gonna have a plan for a race and sometimes, one mile into the race, you’ve got to scrap that plan and you’ve gotta start processing on the fly,” Swords said. “Giving them opportunities to experience adversity is great for them as athletes. It’s great for them as people.”

Fraizer said Bishop Carroll may keep this schedule for a while. It depends on how the weather looks over the next few weeks. The school already had to cancel their big fall sports scrimmage that was planned for Friday because the temperature is expected to be over 100.

Despite the unique circumstances that the heat warning brings, Fraizer says it has been impressive to watch parents, students, faculty and staff work through it together.

“I can’t thank them enough for doing what’s best for the kids, whether they gotta wake up at 4 a.m. and get ready for the day or have the normal routine,” Fraizer said “It is a challenge, but everybody’s going through with flying colors.”